Monday 25 March 2024

The Great Adventure ~ No. 63

Hello everyone and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

This week our theme is all about Embossing It and with so many different products available, I'm sure you'll all be spoilt for choice with ideas and as always, the team have come up with plenty of inspiration.

For my make, I'm taking the wonderful Mr Rabbit on his Easter Adventure because as we all know, all good bunnies are getting ready for an Easter Hop, and are ready to deliver those eggs around the world!

So let's get started, and say hello to Mr Rabbit, the Great Adventurer!


For this make, I used a Mini Etcetera Tag, which I flipped upside down so the top is now the bottom, and an Etcetera Facade.

BACKGROUND FOR TAG

To begin with, I'll start with the background and I cut a panel of Mixed Media Heavystock card the same shape as the tag. I smooshed Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed, Pumice Stone and Frayed Burlap Distress Inks onto my glass mat and then spritzed the inks with water before dipping my card panel in and out of the inks to pick up the colour. Once I was happy with the background colour, I heat dried the panel, and used a blending tool to ink the edges with Gathered Twigs and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.

Taking the polka dot stamp from the Mr Rabbit Stamp Set, I inked it with Scattered Straw Distress Ink, and then stamped randomly onto the panel. I then repeated this using the plaid stamp from the same set.

Once my background was complete, I then machine stitched a border around the outside and attached the panel onto my Etcetera Tag.

ETCETERA FACADE

Now for my facade, which like the tag, I flipped upside down so the point is at the bottom. To cover the facade, I once again used Mixed Media Heavystock card and I inked the card using the same colours of Distress Ink as I used on the tag background.

After heat drying the card thoroughly, I then stamped the polka dots onto the background, stamping the design in sections using Versamark Clear Ink pad and sprinkled Fossilized Amber Embossing Glaze over the top. Tap away the excess and heat emboss. Repeat until the entire card panel is covered with polka dots.

I then covered the facade with my stamped cardstock, trimming away the inside and the edges and adhering it with Matte Collage Medium.

At the top of the facade I placed a Pinked Etcetera Trim, covered with the same embossed polka dot card which I die cut using the Decorative Trims die set and adhered the 'Example 3' Numbers Strip across the top of the frame, attaching it with Matte Collage Medium.

I placed the trim with the pinked edge upwards, across the top of the facade and then hammered two Nail Tacks into either side.

To add some rusty drips around the nails, I used watered down Crackling Campfire, Vintage Photo and Black Soot Distress Paints, and just built up the colour to create the look of rust.

MR RABBIT

Now for the star, the great adventurer and I began by stamping the image of Mr Rabbit onto watercolor card. I then watercolored the image with Distress Watercolor Pencils, adding shading around the edge.

To stamp the background, I made a mask of Mr Rabbit by stamping a separate image onto a piece of paper and then with the paper laid over the image, I inked the plaid stamp with Scattered Straw Distress Ink and stamped the background.

I then added some flicks of Pumice Stone and Scattered Straw inks, heat dried the panel and then placed Mr Rabbit behind the Etcetera Facade using the risers to add dimension to the frame.

Once I'd attached the facade to my tag, I then added the details to Mr Rabbit himself, placing some tiny buttons onto his shirt and a flower in his lapel.

The metal flower is from the idea-ology Floral Adornments pack and to colour the flower, I applied an embossing dabber to the surface of the metal and then sprinkled Squeezed Lemonade Glaze over the top. After tapping away the excess and heat embossing the powder until the metal becomes enamelled in appearance, I allowed it to cool and then stuck it onto the lapel.

The final detail for the frame is the idea-ology Type Chip in the top right corner, the letter 'r' for rabbit and I just attached this with collage medium.

LARGE WORD PLAQUE AND FOLIAGE

Across the facade, I placed a word plaque, "Life Is Meant For Adventure" and I coloured the metal using the same paints as I used on the nail tacks but to accentuate the wording, I used my fingertip to add a smear of Sterling Foundry Wax across the raised lettering and then heat embossed to set the wax.

I attached two hardware heads to either side of the plaque and again I added the rusty effect to the metal with Distress Paints and then attached the plaque with foam pads.

For the foliage, I used the Funky Florals 3 Die Set by Sizzix, cutting each piece from cardstock inked with Peeled Paint, Rustic Wilderness and Shabby Shutters Distress Spray Stains. 

I then arranged the die cuts around the plaque, tucking them underneath and adding some moss and Mummy Cloth to the arrangement.

FINISHING DETAILS

For the finishing details, I added a Mini Plaquette, the number 63 at the bottom of the facade and then placed two large fasteners to either corner of the tag.

To complete my project, I added my final touch ~ the monocle. This was inspired by Tim's make but I haven't attached it to the rabbit himself, I've allowed it to just dangle from the clip at the top of the tag, so that he can use it anytime he wants.

MONOCLE

The monocle is actually a retired piece of idea-ology that I had in my stash and after adding the rusty finish to the metal, I then attached it to some chain, which hangs from the Hinge Clip, which is also altered with some Scattered Straw, Black Soot and Crackling Campfire Distress Paint.

So that's my tag finished and I hope you love what I've made and will be inspired by the ideas and techniques.

As always, if you make anything, or if you've been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to winYou have until next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....






Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today...Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Etcetera TagEtcetera FacadeMr Rabbit, Pinked Etcetera Trims
Distress PaintBlack Soot, crackling Campfire, Scattered Straw
Distress Embossing Glaze: Scattered Straw, Squeezed Lemonade
Distress Spray Stain: Rustic Wilderness, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint
Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Gathered Twigs, Mustard Seed, Scattered Straw, Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap
Hot Glue Gun
Moss, monocle and chain from my own stash

****These are not affiliate links****

Friday 22 March 2024

Simon Says Stamp Be Bold Blog Hop Day 1

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 1 of the Be Bold Blog Hop!

I'm so excited to be joining this hop and you might have arrived here from Jean Doeringsfeld's blog, but if not, and you want to catch up with everyone who is participating in this hop, then don't worry because you can head back to the beginning, HERE.

For my card, I chose to use the Lush Leaves Dies, the Lilac Pawsitively Dazzling Gems and the Mamacita Stamp Set from this release, to create a card celebrating a very special person in my life . You can check out all the fabulous new products in the Be Bold release, HERE.

So let's begin and here's how I created my card.


This card measures, 20 x 11cm and is made from Mixed Media Heavystock card.

BACKGROUND

To start with I made my background and for this, I used the Tim Holtz Linked Squares Layering Stencil. I inked through the stencil onto a panel of watercolour card, using a combination of Aspen, and Sage Positively Saturated Inks and Pumice Stone Distress Ink, blending the colours over the card with a stencil brush.

Once happy with the blend, I spritzed water over the background and allowed the inks to puddle and pool before heat drying the surface.

Once this was dry, I applied Frayed Burlap Distress Ink to my glass mat, sprtized with water and then dipped my inked card panel into the droplets of ink. Once again I heat dried the surface before inking the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

To add more layers to the background, I inked one of the stamps from the Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous Botanic Collage stamp set, with Black Soot Distress Ink, inking the type script section of the stamp only and stamping it randomly around the edges of the panel.

To complete the panel, I machine stitched a border and then matted it onto a panel of card, inked using the same colours of Positively Saturated Ink, Sage and Aspen as I used through the stencils.

Matt the layered panel onto Mixed Media Heavystock card using foam pads, followed by a layer of kraft card before mounting onto the card blank.

SENTIMENT LABEL

For the sentiment label in the centre of the card, I used Tim Holtz's Vintage Label dies by Sizzix. These labels create a debossed outline around the edge and using the large circular die, I cut the shape from Heavystock card, inking the raised area of the die with Rustic Wilderness Archival Ink.

I inked the surface of the die cut with Pumice Stone and Frayed Burlap Ink and spritzed with water to blend the inks before heat drying the circle.

I then stamped the sentiment in Black Soot Archival Ink, using two separate stamps from the set.

Beneath the sentiment, I placed a small die cut heart from the Lovebirds die set, that I had on my desk from a previous project and inked this with Kitsch Flamingo Distress Ink.

Mount the sentiment onto the card using foam pads to add dimension.

LUSH LEAVES

Taking the Lush Leaves dies, I cut multiple pieces from Distress Watercolour Card.

I then inked the die cuts with the Pawsitively Saturated Ink Trio 14, starting with Aspen, followed by Sage and finally adding darker shades with Pine.

After shaping each of the flourishes and leaves, I arranged them onto my card. 

I placed them around the circular vintage label, layering them and arranging them to create a fluffy, dimensional look to the piece.

To complete the leaves, I added some gems, sticking them directly onto the foliage.

FINISHING DETAILS

We're nearly there and all that's left is the finishing details.

I added a scrap of linen from my material box to the top right hand corner, complete with a button that I sewed onto the linen scrap.

Finally I added some fo the tiny stitches, die cut from black card using the Bunny Stitch die by Tim Holtz and Sizzix and placed these in the top left and bottom right hand corners.

...and that finishes my card for this hop.

I hope you love this make and all the techniques I've used.

Now, it's time to hop to the next stop...

Simon Says Stamp is giving away a $25 coupon to every stop on the blog hop from the blog comment section! So, this means you can leave a comment here and on every stop along the way to increase your chances. Winners will be notified and they will be posted on the Simon Says Stamp blog on Wednesday, 27th March and all winners will need to contact/email Simon Says Stamp to claim their prize. 

Also, don't forget that you have until the 24 March at 11:59 EDT to claim $7 off with a purchase of $40 or more and all you need to do is enter the code GREEN at checkout.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and don't forget to go and check out Day 2 of the hop tomorrow!!!

See you soon, Emma x


HOP ORDER:

Emma Williams <—-YOU ARE HERE

Sunday 17 March 2024

Hello Spring DIY Gift Boxes for Simon Says Stamp

Happy Sunday everyone and if you celebrate, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Today, I'm so happy to be back on the Simon Says Stamp Store blog to share my latest project with you all and if you love the sneak peek below and would love to see more of this piece, then you can head over to their blog, CLICK HERE to check out the step by step process of how I created my make!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and see you soon with some more creative inspirations!
Have a great Sunday!
xx


Monday 11 March 2024

I Should Be So Lucky....

Hello friends and welcome to the brand new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

This week our theme is all about A Bit O' Green and we would love for you to join us and play along with our fun challenge.

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, I decided to embrace all things green with my Etcetera Panel decor piece and some of you might recognise this cheeky little leprechaun, because yes, The Count is back in his fancy dress costume, ready to celebrate the luck of the Irish!

So let's get started, and say hello to Mr O’Reilly, the Leprechaun.

For this make, I used the small Tim Holtz Rectangular Etcetera Panel and one of the Etcetera Facades both by Stampers Anonymous.

PANEL

We'll begin with the panel and after painting the edge of the panel with Black Soot Distress Paint, I then applied Design Tapes, two different tapes, around the edge.

To create the background for the panel, I cut a piece of Mixed Media Heavystock card and spritzed the card with a light misting of water before applying Distress Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays in the following colours:

DISTRESS SPRAY STAIN; Rustic Wilderness, Black Soot, 

OXIDE SPRAY; Rustic Wilderness, Cracked Pistachio

I layered the colours to create the blend I was happy with, adding more water if needed before I allowed the inks to dry thoroughly. You can use a heat gun to set the inks before moving onto stamping the background.

For this I used the Polka Dot stamp from Mr Rabbit and inked up the stamp with Black Soot Archival before I randomly stamped all over the background.

After machine stitching a border around the outside, I then adhered the card onto my Etcetera Panel using Matte Collage Medium.

ETCETERA FACADE

Moving onto the Etcetera Facade and from the pack of 4, I chose the arched piece which I painted with Black Soot Distress Paint.

Once the surface was thoroughly dry, I then stamped onto the facade using the Shattered stamp.

This is a large stamp which covers the surface area perfectly and after inking it with clear embossing ink, I then sprinkled Fien Detail Gold Embossing Powder over the surface, heat embossed until molten.

Taking a paint brush, I used this to dry brush the surface with gold acrylic paint. You don't want a block coverage, just to knock back the black and still allow the embossing to show, so just allow the brush to gently kiss the surface. Set aside to dry.

Behind the facade, I placed a second panel of card, inked with the same sprays and oxides as I used on the background but this time I used the Sparkle Layering Stencil to create some texture.

I placed the stencil onto the panel, and applied Translucent Grit Paste through the design. I removed the stencil and working quickly I sprinkled Gold Embossing Powder over the paste. Set this to one side to dry and once the magic has happened, I then heat embossed the powder very gently to reveal the gold sparkles.

Cut the panel to fit behind the facade and then using the risers that come with the Facade pack, add these to the back of the frame and attach to the sparkle panel.

Attach the completed piece onto the Etcetera Panel using Matte Collage Medium and slightly overlapping the top edge of the panel itself. 

You can see in the photo below how much depth the risers add to this piece.

I finished by attaching two hardware heads to either side of the facade and then added a Flair Embellishment to the top, curved section.

MR O’REILLY ~ THE COUNT

Now for the star of St. Patrick's Day, The Count, or for one day only, Mr O’Reilly, and once I'd die cut all my pieces, (you'll notice for this make, I didn't use his lower body and legs, just from his waist up as I want him to appear as if he's in the frame), I then assembled the image, swapping out the classic black hair of The Count, and making it red instead.

COLOURS USED:

Face: Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Black Soot and White

Hair: Spiced Marmalade and Crackling Campfire

Suit and Shirt: Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, white

Waistcoat: A stamped offcut that I had in my stash

For his top hat, bow and hair ~ I used Winter Wardrobe Thinlits Die Set, which is a slightly older die set, sadly discontinued, that I have in my stash. 


If you don't have this set, then you can use alternatives ~ the Tailored Set for the hat, and there are plenty of Tim's dies that have bows and foliage that will be suitable for the remaining details.

I cut the hat from the same inked cardstock as I used on his suit, and the bow and hat band both cut from the same offcut as I used for the waistcoat.

Now comes his hair and can you think which die I might've used for this?!?!?

Answer: I used the tiny foliage die in the Winter Wardrobe and just cut multiple pieces that I layered behind the hat, to create the spiky hair that sticks out from underneath the rim.

To complete the hat, I added some tiny stitches that are from the Bunny Stitch Die set by Sizzix, and placed it into position on The Count's head.

Using foam pads, I attached The Count into position, inside the frame.

FOLIAGE

To complete the frame, I used the Funky Florals 3 die set to cut some leaves from inky green card, and arranged these with some moss.

I then placed some tiny idea-ology Bouquet Findings flowers into the arrangement. These flowers are white, but easy to colour with Distress Spray Stains and for this, I chose Shabby Shutters.

I also placed one flower in the hat, and in the centres of all the flowers, I added some gold Stickles Glitter from my stash.

We're nearly there and all that's left is the wording...

LUCKY

I used the Bold Alphanumeric Thinlits Die Set by Tim Holtz/Sizzix and cut three layers of the letters from Metallic Gold Kraft card, to spell the word "LUCKY', which I layered over the top of one another to create some depth.

I attached the letters directly to my panel, placing them underneath the facade and then to knock back the gold, I lightly sanded the surface and then painted them with a little Vintage Photo Distress Paint, wiping away any excess so that the gold still shines through.

Finally, I added some Large Fasteners to either side of the lettering.

I cut the legs off the fasteners, hammered them for a more worn, vintage look and then placed them directly onto my panel, attaching them with Collage Medium.

So that's my project finished and ready to display for St' Patrick's Day and I hope you've been inspired by the techniques and the the ideas I've used.

As always, if you make anything, or if you've been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to winYou have until next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....






Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today...Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Tim Holtz/Sizzix: Tim Holtz Big Shot Foldaway, The Count, Funky Floral 3, Winter Wardrobe from my stash
Distress Paint: Black Soot
Distress Spray Stain: Rustic Wilderness, Black Soot, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Cracklign Campfire, Spiced Marmalade
Oxide Spray: Rustic Wilderness, Cracked Pistachio
Distress Ink: Walnut Stain
Hot Glue Gun
Moss from my own stash

****These are not affiliate links****
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